---
title: "Database Lifecycle Management | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "06/13/2017"
ms.prod: "sql-server-2014"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: supportability
ms.topic: conceptual
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "Data sync"
  - "SQL Database"
  - "Azure Training Kit"
  - "Database development"
  - "Database backup"
  - "Database connection management"
  - "Database community"
  - "Backup and restore"
  - "Database import and export"
  - "SQL Data Sync"
  - "Azure Service Dashboard"
  - "SQL Server Management Studio"
  - "Database management"
  - "Database export"
  - "SQL Server Data Tools"
  - "SSMS"
  - "SSDT"
  - "Database migration"
  - "Database connectivity"
ms.assetid: 91da13a4-0eea-4e88-b608-dada881ff5f2
author: MashaMSFT
ms.author: mathoma
manager: craigg
---
# Database Lifecycle Management
  Database lifecycle management (DLM) is a policy-based approach to managing databases and data assets. DLM is not a product but a comprehensive approach to managing the database schema, data, and metadata for a database application. A thoughtful and proactive approach to DLM enables an organization to manage data resources according to appropriate levels of performance, protection, availability, and cost.  
  
 DLM begins with discussion of project design and intent, continues with database develop, test, build, deploy, maintain, monitor, and backup activities, and ends with data archive. This topic provides an overview of the stages of DLM that begin with database development and progress through build, deploy, and monitor actions (Figure 1). Also included are data management activities, and data portability operations like import/export, backup, migrate, and sync.  
  
 To read the complete topic, see [Database Lifecycle Management (DLM)](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=276949).  
  
## See Also  
 [Azure Home Page](https://www.windowsazure.com/)   
 [Azure Developer Center](https://www.windowsazure.com/develop/overview/)   
 [Azure Manage Center](https://www.windowsazure.com/manage/overview/)   
 [Azure Team Blog](https://www.windowsazure.com/community/blog/)   
 [Azure Support Options](https://www.windowsazure.com/support/contact/)